#AfghanistanTuesday - Striking a Nerve on September 27

As in other weeks, we had a very busy day on #AfghanistanTuesday! This week protests against the Afghanistan War, taking place around the country and around the world, are just a week away.


These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, September 27, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

U.S. CULPABILITY
From @MidwestAntiwar : SEND A MESSAGE ON #AFGHANISTANTUESDAY that you want to #prosecute #warcrimes - sign on @whitehouse petition site

BRING THE TROOPS HOME
From @Antiwar2 : PROBLEM = #occupation ; SOLUTION = #troopshome #AfghanistanTuesday @MidwestAntiwar @comehomeamerica

From @Antiwar2 : The One Condition Needed for Peace: the Full Withdrawal of US Troops #AfghanistanTuesday @MidwestAntiwar

COST OF WAR
From @Human___Rights : The cost of the war in Afghanistan $458,607,624,481. http://costofwar.com/en/. Put this money in our economy not war! #AfghanistanTuesday

COMMON SENSE
From @volksmenner : What can 1 more year of war solve that 10 years couldn't? Absolutely nothing! End the Afghanistan occupation. #AfghanistanTuesday

From @nat_riverascott : Today we should make a demand for this stupid useless war to end #peace #AFGHANISTANTUESDAY

CURRENT PROTESTS
From @aheram : #AfghanistanTuesday antiwar rally and #OccupyCOD protest in support of #OccupyWallStreet tomorrow at College of the Desert at 3 p.m.!

THE WORK THAT LIES AHEAD
From @cy_guevara : There is no path to peace. Peace is the path. -Gandhi #AfghanistanTuesday

Thanks to these tweeps, and here's to all of our #Tuesdayistas! THANK YOU!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

The hour is approaching: Make a commitment!

Ending the wars: Is now the time that your contribution will really count?

The first few days of October, 2011 ... If you can do just one thing by the time this weekend is over, please simply read the rest of this blog post, and think about how events are going to unfold in the next few days, and think about what you want to do to make a difference!

Monday October 3 ... Now is the time we must: Use the power of Twitter to draw people into the #AfghanistanTuesday conversation. If you've ever felt the willingness to pitch in and REALLY spread the word, now is the time! Because THIS #AfghanistanTuesday is gonna be SPECIAL . . . .


Tuesday October 4 ... #AfghanistanTuesday! We have wide-ranging conversations every week on #AfghanistanTuesday, but I want to suggest that this week we need to give special attention to the protests themselves. With protests just days away, now is the time we must: Get people to find their local action! When people join up with others near them, protesting the war ceases to be solely theoretical and begins to become a reality. There is a list of many actions nationwide (and worldwide) on the website for the Chicago protest; I predict that as the hours pass, the number of local protests will grow too fast for this list to keep up with!


Thursday, October 6 (or thereabouts) ... as the protests are unfolding. Now is the time we must: Get people to show up! It is vitally important that people get beyond the "I'm with you in spirit..." attitude. Being together with others who care about these problems is the trigger to a commitment to ongoing action!


Saturday, October 8 (or thereabouts) ... when people are together with others, protesting the war. Now is the time we must: Get people to make a commitment! What are they going to do to make a difference in this problem? What time will they commit? What promise will they make to themselves that will make sure they don't fail to contribute to the solution of this problem?


What can YOU do to be an active participant in driving toward COMMITMENT on the part of millions of people to end our wars?

Afghanistan: Where is the Church?

Where will the Church be on October 9, 2011?

October 7 marks the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, and on that and surrounding days, antiwar protests will take place in Chicago, across the country, and around the world.

I think it is very likely that, during the course of those protests, we are going to hear people say, "Continued U.S. war -- in Afghanistan and elsewhere -- can no longer be accepted as consistent with any possible understanding of God's will for God's Kingdom -- if, indeed, it ever could be."

Where will that leave those of us in the audience who consider ourselves Christians?


One response, of course, is simply to say, "I don't want to think about this . . . . "

Another possible response is to nod in agreement -- to murmur inwardly, "I'm with you in spirit" -- and then go back to one's other concerns.

And the third and final possible response is to embrace this statement and start to live it.

We are all going to have to decide where we stand. And so, again, I ask: Where will the Church be on October 9, 2011?

Is there any reason for the Church not to embrace an antiwar stance? Some people believe an antiwar stance is too risky for the Church. An antiwar stance may anger some existing members, or scare away potential members. But is that position -- whether or not it is defensible -- even accurate? As a friend of mine put it in a message to me yesterday: "It's so maddening to me when the Church, in this day and age, with everything that's at stake, won't take a stand for fear of losing members. In my opinion, the numbers of members would probably rise if they did take principled stands on the things they should be addressing."

To be sure, there are faith communities that unreservedly stand against war. Endorsers of the October 8 Chicago demonstration against the Afghanistan War include: 8th Day Center for Justice, American Friends Service Committee, and Wellington Ave UCC. But by and large, they are the exceptions that prove the rule that it is the environmentalists ... the labor people ... the LGBT movement ... the students ... the Palestine solidarity people ... the ethnic and community groups ... the dedicated peace groups ... and others that are carrying the vast majority of the load.

Again, I ask: Where will the Church be on October 9, 2011?

Many churches across Chicago, on October 9, 2011, relying on the common lectionary, will read lessons that include the Matthew 22:1-14 parable of the guests at the wedding: "So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find." The parable features a somewhat mercurial wedding host, one who becomes irate at heedless invitees, then expansively invites "anyone you find," and then becomes irate again at an attendee who seems willing to enjoy the festivities -- to "be there in spirit" -- but who can't be bothered to carry his own share of the responsibility by dressing the part. What is this supposed to tell us about God's will for God's Kingdom?


Is it possible that this parable is telling us that it's no longer acceptable to passively nod in agreement -- -- to murmur inwardly, "I'm with you in spirit" -- and then to go back to our other concerns? Is it possible that God's will for God's Kingdom is for a world without war, and that God is issuing an invitation to every child of God, every single one of the saints that collectively make up the Church, to become an active worker for peace, and against war? And if it is, how can any of us give short shrift to this invitation? Certainly vast numbers of people are already answering the call.

And so, again, I ask: Where will the Church be on October 9, 2011?

What happens after October 8?

For all of us working to end the war in Afghanistan, October 8 will be an exciting day. There will be a march in Chicago -- as well as protests in many other cities.

But what happens on October 9? Where do we go after the marching and shouting and protesting is over?

Do you have a view on what should happen next? How do we move forward in an organized way? How do we make the best use of the momentum gained on October 8? How do we keep from losing steam?

Please comment here!

Antiwar: Using the Power of Facebook

Friends -

We are all working hard to end these wars, right?

I believe that the single most powerful thing any of us can do is to use the power of our Facebook accounts to encourage as many people as possible to actively participate in the protests that will take place in Chicago and elsewhere on October 8.

We all believe that change will only come through the combined effort of the people -- and social media gives us exponential power to pull people into participating. So ... please ... TODAY ...


(1) JOIN (and invite!) on Facebook

Please go TODAY to http://tinyurl.com/facebookOct8 and click "I'm attending" in the upper right hand corner. (Think of that as "I support this event.")

Then -- and this is the important part -- click on the box in the upper left that says "+ Select Guests to Invite". Please take the time to invite as many of your friends as possible. (Remember: they may not live where the event is taking place, but they may know others that they can invite!) (See note 1 below for more help on this!)


(2) SPEAK OUT on Facebook

Use your Facebook wall to tell people you are participating -- and why. All you have to do is paste the address ( http://tinyurl.com/facebookOct8 ) into your FB status -- the yellow icon and event description will show up. You can then write over the link that you had pasted, writing something to tell people why this is so important to you.


(When I reached out to my friend Kazashi -- a peace worker in the anti-depleted uranium movement in Hiroshima -- this is how he responded.)

As more and more people see those yellow boxes popping up on their FB news feed, they will start to get the idea, "Hey, maybe this is what I should be doing ...!"


(3) REACH OUT using email

Please email this message -- that's right, just cut and paste the whole thing -- individually to 10 (or more!) other people -- preferably people outside the usual circle of people with whom you talk about these issues. (We need to reach everybody.) Tell them why you cared enough to particularly send this message to them.


Thank you for everything that ALL of you are doing! So many people are bringing so many diverse gifts to this effort. Please join together in using this one tool that we can all put our efforts into TOGETHER!


Joe Scarry
http://chicagomassaction.org
http://twitter.com/MidwestAntiwar
http://tinyurl.com/facebookOct8

"What if we all stopped what we were doing once a week to try to end these wars?" http://bit.ly/AfghanistanTuesday

RULE NUMBER ONE: Never try to silence a Tuesdayista! http://bit.ly/NoSilence
RULE NUMBER TWO: Tuesdayistas own the street. http://bit.ly/WeOwnTheStreets

((( A http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista is not the person who ends #war all by themselves. A http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista spreads the IDEA of ending war! )))

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NOTE 1: More help on inviting guests to a Facebook event

(1) Go to the event page: http://tinyurl.com/facebookOct8

(2) Click "I'm attending" in the upper right hand corner. (Think of that as "I support this event.")

(3) Click on the box in the upper left that says "+ Select Guests to Invite". The "Invite Friends" box will pop up.

(4) Facebook sometimes limits how many guests you can invite at one time. Try doing it in waves: select about 20 or so, then click "Submit".

(5) If the spirit moves you, after you select guests (but before you click "Submit") you can click in the lower left hand corner of the pop-up box to "Add a Personal Message". Then click "Submit".

(6) Please take the time to go through all your friends and invite as many of them as possible. (Remember: they may not live where the event is taking place, but they may know others to invite!)

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#AfghanistanTuesday - Striking a Nerve on Sept 20

Some tweets really struck a nerve on #AfghanistanTuesday last week, and this week was no different!

(One of the great things about Twitter is that, when you strike a nerve, you get instant feedback!)


Below, for your consideration, are the tweets from Tuesday, September 20, 2011, that really lit up the retweets. As always, I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions!

(Other weeks are listed on the #AfghanistanTuesday top tweet page.)

U.S. CULPABILITY
From @AnthonyIanozi : "The only weapon of mass destruction in Iraq is the US military." ~RonPaul #BringOurTroopsHome #AntiWar #AfghanistanTuesday #tpot #ronpaul

From @EvanTKelly : It's not a #WarOnTerror but a #War OF #Terror. Call it #StateTerrorism and call out #StateTerrorists - #USA #UK #NATO - #AfghanistanTuesday

From @EvanTKelly : We should stop callin em #wars - start callin em what they are, #invasions, #illegal #occupations - #Wars for #Empire - #AfghanistanTuesday

From @worldcantwait : Today is #AfghanistanTuesday. Why? Because this imperial occupation never should have happened. Not a "dumb war" - an UNJUST war. Join us!

VICTIMS OF WAR
From @USDayofRageIN : Afghanistan, Iraq Wars Killed 132,000 Civilians, Report Says http://bit.ly/qeKggb #afghanistantuesday #usdor #usdorIn on #911 3,000 died

From @codepinkalert : Declare your commitment to honor #victims of 'war on terror' by working for #peace http://ow.ly/6zNWz #AfghanistanTuesday #CreateNotHate

From @codepinkalert : 6,024 US armed forces and at least 120,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan: Enough http://ow.ly/6zHOg #AfghanistanTuesday

From @CostsOfWar : War has displaced Afghans from their homes and from their country for over three decades. http://costsofwar.org/article/afghan-refugees #AfghanistanTuesday

From @AnonNep : Australian military deaths = 29. Civilian 'collateral damage' = 17,611 - 37,208 - http://bit.ly/oTfu5P #AfghanistanTuesday #Auspol

DAMAGE TO AFGHANISTAN SOCIETY & ECONOMY
From @MylaReson : #AfghanistanTuesday MT @InjusticeFacts: 9 years after U.S. invasion, 92% of the opiates on the world market are originating in Afghanistan.

From @MylaReson : #AfghanistanTuesday RT @ggreenwald: U.S. to build massive new prison in Bagram, Afghanistan: is.gd/LQDpho

Thanks to these tweeps, and here's to all of our #Tuesdayistas! THANK YOU!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Tuesdayistas Are Gonna Throw the Bums Out

Have you seen the latest poll numbers?

Only 12% of Americans approve the job that Congress is doing.

Come again?

Only 12% of Americans approve the job that Congress is doing.

Could we hear that one more time?

Only 12% of Americans approve the job that Congress is doing.

An election is coming and the handwriting is on the wall: Tuesdayistas (together with the rest of the American electorate) are gonna throw the bums out.

What do Tuesdayistas foresee for 2012?


(Oops! Wrong image . . . . )

What do Tuesdayistas foresee for 2012?


Tuesdayistas and others working to end the war have realized that 2012 is an election year and we no longer have to take what we're being offered. From now on we dictate the terms of the political discourse.

Want my attention? Want my vote? Start talking about how you're going to end American wars and drastically reduce military spending.

2012 is going to be a long year . . . especially for politicians who haven't woken up to the antiwar message.

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Tuesdayistas Own the Streets

One of the most important outcomes of #AfghanistanTuesday is that #Tuesdayistas get out of their houses and into the streets to work with other Tuesdayistas to end the wars.


Anyone who's been paying attention knows that we can't rely on the media to spread the antiwar message. (If you listened to the media, you'd think there was no antiwar movement in this country, or anywhere else in the world. You might want to ask people in Washington, D.C. about that ... or people in Chicago ... or people in San Francisco ... or people in Las Vegas ... or people in Miami . . . or people in Minneapolis . . . or people in Bloomington, IN . . . or people in Trenton, NJ . . . or . . . .

As discussed elsewhere, there are growing efforts to silence Tuesdayistas and other antiwar protesters. It can only work if we hide in our houses.

Tuesdayistas own the streets, and if you're a Tuesdayista there are several ways you can take advantage of this.

First, find out what's happening near you. Just Google the name of the nearest big city and words like "antiwar" or "peace."

Second, put it on your calendar. Make a plan to get out there and participate. (And, yes, that means finding the Facebook event page, and marking "I'm attending" . . . because . . . )

Third, invite others. That's what Facebook was made for. Don't keep your convictions a secret. You'd be surprised at how many people will say, "Thank you for telling me that you are going to that event. That made me realize I really want to participate, too!" This is called leadership.

Fourth, volunteer. Every antiwar group has an email address or contact form, and I guarantee you that if you say, "I want to help!" your skills and passions will be welcomed and you will really be able to feel that you have made a difference!

Fifth, show up. The single most important thing that a Tuesdayista does is to absolutely, positively participate in person on the big day(s). Tuesdayistas do not know the words, "I have another commitment." They do not say, "I'm with you in spirit." They don't "feel too tired to come." Because they know that there is nothing more invigorating than getting together with actual people who care about making the world better, people who are thinking and doing, and having the opportunity to talk with them and work with them and count them as their friends.

Tuesdayistas are rich beyond measure: Tuesdayistas own the streets!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Never Try to Silence a Tuesdayista

[This turned out to be one of my favorite blog posts of 2011. Check out my other 2011 favorite "Scarry Thoughts" blog posts here!]

Rule Number One: Never Try To Silence a Tuesdayista ... it just makes them angry!

I'm grateful to some horticulturalist friends for this bit of insight.

In the tallgrass prairie native to Chicago, there are certain flowers that are very pretty but if you try to cut them down, they just come back ten times as strong.

For instance, this is the delicate goldenrod:


And this is what it looks like when you try to cut down the goldenrod to make room for other flowers:


Moral of the story: don't try to cut down the goldenrod. It just makes it angry!

The people who are native to Chicago are sort of the same way. They look innocent enough, but whatever you do, don't try to shut them up.

Exhibit A:


Exhibit B:


Any more questions?

This is true on #AfghanistanTuesday, when people are working to end the war in Afghanistan, or, for that matter, on any day of the week.

Lately, there has been more and more interference with the speech rights of Tuesdayistas and others who oppose U.S. wars and want to express their political views. The result has been that the antiwar voices have come roaring back ten times as strong.

Moral of the story: never try to silence a Tuesdayista. It just makes them angry!

The reason that Chicagoans (and other Tuesdayistas) won't be silenced has something to do with their deep roots. But that's a story for another day ....

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Not Your Father's Antiwar Movement

I have very clear memories of the '60s and '70s, when the antiwar movement was driven by fear of the draft.

Today we live in a different world. Without the draft, the people have "checked out." It is like Rome ... the legions do the work of empire and the people are kept happy with bread and circus. (Or Starbucks and "Dancing With the Stars," if you prefer.)


Of course, our government now has to go to the trouble of recruiting volunteers, but our leaders have figured out that they can get most of the work done by a class that supplies its sons (and some daughters) as soldiers, and doesn't really figure out what's happening until those kids' deployments are over or kids themselves become casualties. (See the great new film "Where Soldiers Come From" for a brutal depiction of this reality.)

And we are moving away from even that inconvenience, by figuring out ways to get more and more of our killing done by robots. The fundamental problem of drones is that their pervasive use cuts the people's last ties to their feelings of responsibility for the most serious acts of their government.

The challenge of the antiwar movement is to stop fighting the battles of the past -- addressing a populace that is afraid of the draft -- and to start dealing with this new reality: a populace that has been reduced to being one rung above being robots themselves.

Striking a Nerve on #AfghanistanTuesday

One of the great things about Twitter is that, when you strike a nerve, you get instant feedback!

This week on #AfghanistanTuesday, there were a small number of tweets that really lit up the retweets. Below, for your consideration, are the greatest hits of Tuesday, September 13, 2011. I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions!


(Other weeks are listed on the #AfghanistanTuesday top tweet page.)

OUR MORAL FAILURE
From @volksmenner: Stop supporting war. Stop being a coward in fear. Peace is the ultimate courage. Time to be courageous, no more wars! #AfghanistanTuesday

From @MidwestAntiwar: V @DEADHEAD1776 : "There are many causes I would die for. There is not a single cause I would kill for." - Gandhi #AfghanistanTuesday
http://twitter.com/#!/MidwestAntiwar/status/113600997774991360

VICTIMS OF WAR
From @EvanTKelly: At least 919,967 #people have been #killed in #Afghanistan and #Iraq, based on LOWEST credible estimates. #AfghanistanTuesday #StopTheWars

From @CostsOfWar: #AfghanistanTuesday: In the last two years, children comprise nearly 15% of all civilians killed by war in Afghanistan http://t.co/ekwtZLz

From @AnonNep: #AfghanistanTuesday Enough lives lost in 'collateral damage'. #StopTheWars From 10,000s to 100,000s. From years to decades. #TweetForPeace

WAR DOLLARS HOME
From @EvanTKelly: “Come Home, America” - @Dennis_Kucinich - http://www.nationofchange.org/congressman-dennis-kucinichs-address-congress-international-policy-its-relationship-domestic-econo #StopTheWars #AfghanistanTuesday

MILITARY RECRUITING
From @Aishaf786: NO to sending your children/fathers/mothers/sisters/brothers/husbands/wives to fight illegal wars,NO to killing people! #AfghanistanTuesday

Thanks to these tweeps, and here's to all of our #Tuesdayistas! THANK YOU!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

I'm a Tuesdayista!

I'm a Tuesdayista. Are you?

Perhaps someone has sent you this message on Twitter:

@(your screen name) PLEASE! Become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become...

Tuesdayistas are people who (a) take time each week to participate in a national (and now global) conversation about ending the war in Afghanistan; AND (b) help spread the word by reaching out to others (who will reach out to others (who will reach out to others .... to do the same!


The easy part is part (b) - which you can accomplish by sending 10 specific people (using the @ sign) a Twitter message like this:

@(friend's screen name here)PLEASE! Become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become...

The fun part is part (a) - because you are participating in a real conversation based on what you think is important and what you think will be effective in bringing about an end to the war. The important thing is to show up!

Why do people make time on their calendars to work to end the war in Afghanistan on Tuesdays?

For me, I'm not doing it because I like thinking about war. I like thinking about other things -- a lot of other things! Films and flowers ... poetry and painting ... just take a look at the A-Z list on the lower right hand side of this page!

But a series of events have happened that have made me realize we are going to be in a state of perpetual war unless a lot of us get serious about stopping it. Maybe it was the drones .... Maybe it was Guantanamo .... Maybe it was the way our military adventures have come to resemble those of the worst villains of the past ....

Whatever it was, I decided I needed to put a stake in the ground. The way I do that is by working together with others in my city who are active trying to end war, and by joining hands every week with people around the country and around the world via Twitter on #AfghanistanTuesday.

#AfghanistanTuesday is important for me because it reminds me to focus, and because seeing so many other people working enthusiastically to end war gives me hope.

Taking a stand: everyone gets there in their own way. This is how I became a Tuesdayista! So . . .

@(screen name here)PLEASE! Become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become a http://bit.ly/Tuesdayista & ask 10 more folks to (become...

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

U.S. Congress - Non-Midwest Representatives on Twitter

I previously posted Twitter addresses for Midwest congressmen.

Now some great folks who follow @MidwestAntiwar have started supplying Twitter addresses for congressmen from the rest of the country! So as they come to hand, I am adding them below .... (Thanks, friends!)

To learn more about what you can do with these congressional Twitter addresses, read about #AfghanistanHour!

ARIZONA
(thanks to @mirandacan!)

1st District - Paul A. Gosar: @RepGosar
2nd District - Trent Franks: @RepTrentFranks
3rd District - Benjamin Quayle: @bquayle
4th District - Ed Pastor: @pastorforaz
5th District - David Schweikert: @RepDavid
6th District - Jeff Flake: @JeffFlake
7th District - Raúl M. Grijalva: @RepRaulGrijalva
8th District - Gabrielle Giffords: @Rep_Giffords

October 2011: Places I'll Remember . . . .

The 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan is a month away. I'm involved in promoting a major demonstration in Chicago, and actions are planned in other cities as well: Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, Bloomington, IN, and Trenton, NJ.

That said, there are cities that haven't been heard from, and I'm having trouble imagining that there will not be major antiwar protests in many other places.


I think about Massachusetts: Cambridge, where I went to school, and where we marched around the administration building to protest South African investments; and Lexington, where I used to crisscross Battle Green taking my kids to their after-school activities. Do you really mean to tell me that the Boston area will be silent in October 2011?


I think about Philadelphia, where I lived for 10 years, and where I used to take visiting groups of Chinese business people to see American shrines like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall; and Washington Square Park, where I used to pause to read the inscription, "Freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness," every day as I walked to work ... Do you really mean to tell me that Philadelphia will be silent in October 2011?


I think about Little Rock, where I spent one endless summer helping form a community organization for ACORN. (When I lean back and close my eyes, I can still picture the streets I canvassed and feel the July Little Rock heat.) Even in 1979, Little Rock was already legendary for its role in the history of the civil rights movement and desegregation; though at that time only a very few perceptive observers imagined that within a few years Little Rock would be contributing a native son to the White House ... Do you really mean to tell me that Little Rock will be silent in October 2011?

These are just a few of the places that have been important to me. All of us have places like this. Do you mean to tell us these places will be silent in October 2011?

My prediction is that by the time I am marching in the demonstration in Chicago on October 8, I will also be marveling at just how many other communities in the country have stood up together with us to oppose the Afghanistan War!

What will your community be doing to stand up to war in October 2011?

Twitter: Scarry's Ten Guideposts

I've been spending a lot of time on Twitter recently, in connection with "The Response" and with the October 8 march in Chicago against the Afghanistan War.

This has given me a great opportunity to think about what can be achieved on Twitter, and how to achieve it, and to engage in conversations with others who want to learn how to use Twitter better.


I've started to organize some of the practices I've discovered, starting with the ten "guideposts" below. I'll expand on these from time to time, and hope to spur continued conversation with all of you!

(1) The First Commandment is the Greatest

Two ideas give shape to all of your activity on Twitter:

(a) Outwardly, it's all about the conversation! Twitter is not about shoveling information out at people. Sure, a part of Twitter is disseminating information. But if that's all you're trying to do, Twitter's not for you!

(b) The framework of Twitter use is a "pyramid of involvement." In short, this means in general you shouldn't expect to leap directly into highly productive and effective interactions with others on Twitter. Relationships build progressively through small steps.

(2) Follow back.

Following (and following back) is the first step in involvement. (You seldom leap right into high-level interaction.)

Due to the Twitter terms of use (insert boring math explanation here) it is critical that you follow back. The sign of a Twitter account that is only interested in itself and doesn't care about the needs of followers -- and the larger Twitter ecosystem -- is that it accumulates lots of followers but doesn't bother to develop a group of users that it follows itself.

The way to connect with new people on Twitter -- to extend a hand and say "Hi!" -- is to follow them (and, by extension, to invite them to follow you back).

(3) Welcome!

Welcome new followers. A private 1:1 direct message (DM) exchange is the crucial second step in involvement. It's your special "face time" with a new relation on Twitter.

However . . .

(4) Be a good listener.

. . . don't leap straight to what you want from your new followers. (The classic blunder on Twitter is to rush at a new follower with the demand to "Follow me on Facebook, too!")

What's the best way to engage in conversation? Ask an open-ended question!

To build a relationship, learn what they want, and what they think. (You might actually find it interesting and valuable!)

(5) Be social.

Be social -- stroking people publicly is the third step in involvement.

Put another way, Twitter is all about feedback. We all need feedback, right?

Some of the basic conventions are "friday follow" (#FF), in which you tell the world who you like to follow and recommend they do the same, "shout-outs" (#SO), echoing (retweets/"RT"), #GRATITUDE, and just plain saying "I like what you're doing!"

At the end of the day, Twitter is just like the school yard. It's not just about being the best at kickball ... or being the biggest smarty-pants .... It's about making friends.

(6) You can't keep it all in your head.

Luckily you don't have to!

The anthropologist Robin Dunbar has determined that in traditional (non-computer-aided) society, human brains evolved to keep track of about 150 other people. ("Dunbar's number" thus is approx. 150.)

Now we have an expanded scope of social involvement, with the help of our computers, and applications like Twitter, Facebook, and others. (I estimate the computer-assisted number of people we can be expected to keep track of -- "Scarry's number" -- to be closer to 1500.)

In the short-run, look at how facets of Twitter aid you in keeping track of this expanded range of people: recognizable screen names, icons, backgrounds, descriptions and locations, tweet patterns, and various listing mechanisms.

In the medium-run, you will want to start to keep a spreadsheet of your tweeps. Your brain needs help, and that's what your computer is for.

(7) Do you have a pulse?

Others will judge you ... by the last thing you said!

And a key question will be, "Is this person still actively using Twitter? Or has this Twitter account been discarded, or become only marginally active?"

Show some activity every day.

(8) Mix it up.

It's tempting to come up with a format for tweets -- one that you are comfortable with -- and then generate tweet after tweet after tweet. ("Here's a link: ....." )

But is that distinguishable from what any robot can do? Pass the "Turing Test": other Twitter users want to feel that there's a human being behind your tweets! Show a blend of activity. Mix it up. Converse with your tweeps. Retweet.

(9) Strength in numbers.

Our social behaviors have evolved to enable us to work together to achieve goals, e.g. hunting in groups.

Start thinking about what form "group hunting" might take in your community.

(10) Start with the end in mind . . .

. . . but don't try to leap there in the first step.

Be thinking about the ultimate "conversion event(s)" that you are striving for. (It may be a purchase ... a vote ... participation in an event ... support for a movement .... ) At the end of the day, that is what must be achieved to realize organizational effectiveness.

And then set to work building the relationship with your tweeps on a solid foundation.


Want to have a conversation about all of this? Tune in with me at @scarry on Twitter!

AfghanistanHour: Speak Now Or ...

This is what it looks like when a member of Congress states his position on getting out of Afghanistan:


Bruce Braley represents Iowa's 1st congressional district and this is a tweet he sent August 26 in response to our query, "Where do you stand on bringing #troops #home from #Afghanistan?"

That doesn't look so hard does it?

Just about every member of Congress is now on Twitter. (As for those who aren't, that will be the subject of a separate post.) I previously posted Twitter addresses for all the delegations from Midwestern states. And I've now started assembling Twitter addresses for congressmen from the rest of the country, too!

Hundreds of people join a national (and global) conversation on the war on Afghanistan every Tuesday by tweeting on the topic #AfghanistanTuesday.

Now, we've designated a special time every Tuesday -- the hour beginning at noon Eastern time -- for members of Congress and other politicians to chime in.

#AfghanistanHour. It's the time to stand up and be counted. To "speak now or forever hold your peace." To step up to the plate.

Americans expect their representatives to listen to their views and to engage in the vital debates of the day ... especially with respect to war. Twitter is a tool that was custom made for the exercise of American democracy.

(You weren't really expecting to be re-elected in 2012 without solving this Afghanistan problem, were you?)

You can learn all about the #AfghanistanTuesday campaign here.

See you Tuesday!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!